By Phil Goodlad

In sport, we speak a lot about fairytales and dreams - how many times do we hear of the "fairytale final" or "dream debut"?

Of course, these are cliches, a bit of hype to grab your attention. But a trip to Ayr over the next four days will bring you up close to a true sporting fairytale.

The Afghanistan cricket team are in Scotland for a match against the Saltires. They left a country in the grip of war, the destruction and violence seen at first hand by the players fuelling more than just a will to win.

"Of course everybody knows about the war. But, if we are playing cricket, maybe we can change the minds of people," explains fast bowler Hamid Hassan.

Afghan bowler Hassan hopes cricket can change perceptions of his country

It is a big task. On a recent trip to Ireland, one player was reported to have asked where the suicide bombs of the Afghan players were hidden.

"We just want to play cricket and show the world we have talent and are a good team," says Hassan.

Only officially recognised in 2001, Afghanistan have quickly risen through the ranks. They qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup held earlier this year, comfortably beating Scotland on the way.

It has helped to bring about a change of attitude towards cricket in the country, according to team manager Nazeem Rahim.

"Years ago, our fathers and uncles would tell their sons 'don't play cricket, spend your time studying'," he said.

One wicketkeeper got shot in the arm while other players escaped by donkey to Pakistan Film director Tim Albone

"Now those parents are coming up to me and saying 'please take my son into your team and let him play'."

The rise of the Afghan national side has been charted by film director Tim Albone, who earlier this year released the documentary Out of the Ashes.

"It is a remarkable story. All of them at one stage have been affected by the war. One wicketkeeper got shot in the arm while other players escaped by donkey to Pakistan," said the director.

Albone believes his film, premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, shows that the bat and ball is doing more for the people of Afghanistan than the bomb and the bullet.

"These players are heroes in their country," he said. "People hear about them and think positively about Afghanistan. It's great to see sport acting like a bridge between cultures."

The Afghans are in Ayr for a four-day match against the Scots.

"We're delighted to have them here," says Malcolm McLean from Cricket Scotland.

"We're hoping to redress our recent defeats to Afghanistan. We're sitting top of the ICC Intercontinental League, they are third."

Now that they are established, the talk is of the future and the aspirations of a new cricketing country.

"Our aim is to play Test cricket," says Hamid Hassan.

"We would love to play the best teams in the world, like England and Australia, though we have to work very hard for that."

Time will tell if that is achievable.

Dreams in sport, though, are a good thing. Sometimes, as you will see in Ayr over the next days, they come true.

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